Being A Hero
by Dawnie Otaku
Summary: Alfred can never ignore someone in pain. He will always save people being bullied and hurt. Even if he doesn't realize how much of a hero he really is, he can truly change lives. These are the stories in which Alfred saves someone's life. (Human!AU. 1 - Lovino's Story, 2 - Natalya's Story, 3 - Alfred's Story, 4 - Arthur's Story. R&R)
1. Lovino

**These are the instances in which Alfred saves a life without realizing how much of a difference he makes. There will be implied Romerica and AmeBela, but no real romance unless you want to think of it that way. There will also be a mention of USUK, but they never actually got together. I thought of this while listening to Hero by Superchick.**

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_No one sits with him, he doesn't fit in…_

It was hard not to know who Lovino Vargas was. Really, it was hard to miss him with his bad attitude and constant swearing. If he wasn't the twin brother of one Feliciano Vargas, no one would have believed they were related. In all honesty, no one liked Lovino because he wasn't anything like his cheery brother and instead pushed away everyone. There were rumors that he was a smooth talker towards girls, but no one really knew anything about that.

At lunch, he always sat alone because he had no one to be friends with. In fact, people found joy in bullying him. Especially the Bad Touch Trio.

"Hey Freak, where's my money?" Gilbert sneered, slamming his hand in front of Lovino's face. Lovino glared and dug into his pocket.

"Here, bastard, take the stupid money," he said. "I don't care." He shoved the money into the German's hands and leaned his head against his hand on the table.

"You better fix that bad attitude, perdant," Francis said. [French: Loser] Lovino rolled his eyes and looked at Antonio, his once best friend. He wanted to hear what he had to say, but he made his glare even colder as he looked at the Spaniard. Antonio flinched, but glared back at him.

"What are you looking at, monstruo?" He said. [Spanish: Freak] Lovino rolled his eyes as the three left. He couldn't help the feeling of overwhelming hurt, but he had gotten used to it.

_Cause his pain is the price paid for you to belong_

Unknown to Lovino, a certain blonde American by the name of Alfred was watching the whole thing with a heavy heart. It's not that he hated Lovino or wanted him to die, he just didn't know how to help and he wanted desperately to fit in with the crowd. He didn't want Lovino to be hurt, but that's the price he paid in order belong. Alfred really did want to help Lovino, really. That way he could be the hero he always claimed himself to be. He just had to figure out how to do that.

Alfred decided he would talk to the boy the next day and help him.

He didn't know that Lovino went home every day and contemplated his death. Lovino had a gun that he could use, of course, and his grandfather never seemed to care. He already lost his best friend to Feliciano. What else did he need to live for?

Lovino decided right then and there what he would do.

_Or he comes back to school with a gun at his side_

Murmurs and gasps were heard as students looked at the top of the school. There was Lovino, standing on the edge of the roof, with a gun pointed at his head. A sad smile adorned his face, and really, some people (Feliciano and Antonio) should have been rejoicing in finally being able to see his smile, but all they felt was fear.

"You all only care for Feliciano and you all hurt me relentlessly!" Lovino yelled down at the crowd, tears slowly falling down his cheeks. "Well, now you don't have to worry about me being in your way any longer!" He braced himself as he prepared to pull the trigger.

Then the door to the roof slammed open.

_And a kindness from you might have saved his life_

When Alfred saw that Lovino was on the roof with a gun pointed at his head, he immediately ran for the stairs. He couldn't let the boy kill himself. There was no way he would do that. Not after he spent so much time trying to figure out how to help the boy he wanted to call a friend.

He made it to the roof just in time to hear the end of Lovino's speech. In a last ditch effort, he slammed the door open and cried out, "Lovino!" Lovino whirled around in shock and dropped the gun in front of him.

"What do you want, Alfred?" He hissed. "Why do you interfere? I could have been done with this hell already!" Alfred didn't answer until he had successfully pulled crying Italian away from the edge.

"Lovino, I'm really sorry that I've never done anything for you before, alright?" Alfred told him. "I wanted to help you, really! I just… I didn't know how and I've regretted it every day! Please… I want to be your friend. Can you just… not try to kill yourself?" Lovino almost gave in, but then he was reminded of what happened with Antonio and glared at Alfred.

"Why should I believe you?" He growled. Alfred pulled him into a hug.

"Because I'm the one who ran up three flights of stairs to save you while everyone else was just gaping," he murmured. Lovino was shocked as he realized that this was true, and slowly but surely, he gave in and began to cry into the Americans shoulder.

"Fine…" He muttered. "I will give you the chance to be my friend… We'll see how it goes." Alfred grinned.

"That's all I ask for, Lovino."

_Heroes are made when you make a choice_


	2. Natalya

**This is the second part of the story, which is Natalya's story. Be aware that she might be a tad OOC, and I'm really sorry for that but please bear with me as that was the only way I could make it work. Please review and thanks!**

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_No one talks to her, she feels so alone…_

Natalya Arlovskaya was what most people would call a "crazy girl." She really was not, if you got to know past her obsession with her brother. The only reasons she loved her brother so much was because she did not want to be alone. Her sister had left her in order to "gain some confidence" and her brother couldn't bear to be near her so he moved in with his friend, Yao. But since she was so focused on bringing her brother back, she pushed everyone away.

Natalya was so painfully lonely. It was hard enough for her to live on her own because of her loneliness. And since no one took the time to actually be her friend, she believed that the pain would fade with a knife to her skin. To her, it was like art. The red lines that crisscrossed were the words of her pain. She hid them with her long-sleeved dress.

_Each day she goes on is a day that she's brave…_

Every day, Natalya went on with her head up. She never let anyone else see her weakness. No, she would always be brave. She endured the hateful and fearful looks sent her way during school. She wouldn't let her own mind tell her that she should just give up. She didn't want to die. Not yet.

One day, however, Alfred and Lovino noticed something. They always noticed how she was alone and they noticed how she would sometimes rub her arm. This time, they noticed the bandages wrapped around her wrist. It scared them, to be honest.

Lovino never cut himself because he didn't want to worry his brother, but he knew that Natalya's siblings didn't live with her anymore, so she had no one to tell her to hold back. He and Alfred decided that they would become her friend. They didn't want to risk her killing herself like Lovino almost had a few months before.

"Hey, you're Natalya, right?" Alfred asked her one day with a charming smile. Lovino stood behind him with an indifferent look on his face. Natalya glared at him.

"What do you want, you stupid American?" She asked rudely.

"We just wanted to ask if we could sit with you," Alfred told her. Someone beside them gasped at the fact that they asked "the crazy, psycho, brother-obsessed girl" if they could sit with her, but the boys didn't pay them any heed. Rather, they paid more attention to the slight widening of the Belarusian's eyes and the slightly hopeful look that crossed her face before she let her face smooth down to a cool glare.

"Do whatever," she muttered. Alfred beamed and he and Lovino sat next to her.

And just like that, a friendship was made.

_When she throws the pills out a hero is made…_

"Hey, what are these, Nat?" Alfred asked Natalya, holding up a bottle of pills. It had been a few weeks since he and Lovino had befriended her and they were hanging out at her house that day. Natalya couldn't help the slightly panicked look on her face.

"Th-those are… umm… I don't…" She stammered. Lovino sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder, calming her down slightly.

"You don't have to be scared, Nat," he told her. "I was like you once, remember?" Natalya nodded. She clearly remembered the day the brown-haired boy had stood on the edge of the roof and was about to shoot himself. It had almost convinced her to die as well.

"They're anti-depressant pills prescribed by my doctor," she admitted reluctantly. "I haven't taken them in a while, because… I don't really need them now, do I? I was originally planning to use them for if I planned to die, but now…" Alfred held up a hand to stop her and smiled. He tossed the pills to her.

"If you don't need them now, then why not just throw them out?" He suggested. Natalya gave a small smile and nodded.

"You know what…" She said. "You're right." She tossed the pills to the trashcan and they went in. She turned to Lovino and Alfred, who were smiling at her.

"We're so proud of you."

_Heroes are made when you make a choice_


	3. Alfred

**This is the third chapter which introduces a bit more about Alfred and his own life. After this, we talk about Arthur and then there's the epilogue that talks about what happened after high school. Please review and thank you!**

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_No one talks to him about how he lives…_

No one ever talked to Alfred about his home life, but it didn't really matter to him. After all, he had a perfectly nice family. Sure, his father had to work all the time since his mother had left and he had to take care of everything back at home, but that was _fine._ That was _okay._ Alfred was perfectly okay with that.

Alfred always loved heroes and he always claimed to be one himself. He liked to make good choices, and therefore always did what he believed was right. He thought that the choice to befriend the lonely people was his choice alone.

_Doesn't know he's the leader with the way he behaves…_

Unbeknownst to Alfred, many people in his school looked up to him. While he was oblivious to the fact that his cheerful personality made others instantly brighten up, everyone else couldn't help but admire him. This was why he was one of the most popular guys in school.

He was also a favorite student in the eyes of some of his teachers. While his grades were a B- average, he was very polite, if not a bit loud at times, but everyone in that school was loud. He did his work and helped others with their work because he knew that doing so was right.

Younger students _and_ older students all followed his example and helped others. Many students started doing volunteer work and helped raise money for clubs. Some students chose to ignore what Alfred stood for, most didn't and followed his example. After Alfred had saved Lovino and Natalya's lives, more people began to realize that they needed to work harder. He was like a leader, and the facts that they so blatantly ignored people in need made them feel awful.

Alfred had also opened the eyes of Ivan Braginski, Natalya's brother, and The Bad Touch Trio, plus Feliciano Vargas. When Lovino was about to shoot himself, Feliciano and the BTT were scared. Feliciano didn't want his brother to die, and he had no idea about the bullying. The BTT felt guilty, especially Antonio. When Alfred saved his life, they were relieved. They tried to apologize, but it wasn't until Alfred told Lovino to let it go that he forgave his brother and the BTT.

Ivan wasn't aware of what was going on in his sister's life until the American marched up to him with a glare and demanded to know why he didn't care for his sister. Of course Ivan cared for his sister, he cared for them both, but Natalya kept going on about how she would marry him and it was a bit creepy. So when he learned that Natalya was depressed and lonely, he couldn't help but dismiss how creepy his sister was in favor of worry. Natalya had instantly forgiven him when he apologized, so he was happy. He didn't want to make Natalya lonely anymore and vowed to keep her safe from then on.

_His brother who wants to be him is just nine…_

Alfred had a younger brother named Matthew Williams. Matthew was nine and kept his mom's surname. Matthew looked up to his older brother and wanted to be like him. He wanted to be brave and he wanted to help people. He wanted to be called a hero.

Matthew always admired his brother from the day his brother caught him after he fell out of a tree when he was three. Alfred knew that his brother also wanted to be a hero and so he encouraged him as much as he could. When Matthew was hurt or felt like he just wasn't good enough, Alfred was always there to pick him up.

"Alfred, I'm going to be just like you when I grow up!" Matthew has said in awe again and again whenever Alfred told him about whatever he had done to help people. Alfred always chuckled and ruffled his hair.

"I'm sure you will, little bro," he would reply. "But you're already so grown up now, aren't you?" He would lift Matthew up in the air and say how heavy he was, and Matthew would squeal in delight.

When Matthew heard about the two times that Alfred saved someone's life, he was in even more awe.

"That's amazing, brother!" He exclaimed. "You were able to save their lives with only a few words! You _are_ a hero!" Alfred laughed.

"What, did you doubt that I was a hero until now?" He teased. Matthew had blushed and fiddled with the scarf that had been around his neck.

"Well, until now, you never saved anyone's life and every superhero saves lives, so I didn't fully believe you were a hero…" He murmured even quieter than he normally did. Alfred just chuckled and ruffled his hair like he always did.

"I was kidding, but you are right," he told him. "Real superheroes always save lives." Matthew smiled up at his big brother. He wanted to be like his brother even more right then and there. He wanted to save lives and he wanted to be a superhero like his brother. He loved the stories of his brother and they influenced how he would act in later years.

The story of why Alfred had such a hero complex also helped in Matthew's decision.

_Heroes are made when you make a choice_


	4. Arthur

**Thanks to sparklybutterfly42 for reviewing on all three of my previous chapters! I am really happy that you gave me some feedback! This chapter talks about how Alfred started becoming so heroic and wanting to save lives and stuff like that. After this is the epilogue. Please review and thanks!**

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Arthur_ Kirkland was the kid in class who every day got brutally harassed…_

It was back in middle school when Alfred first saw Arthur Kirkland. He never cared about the boy with blonde hair, emerald eyes, and gigantic eyebrows. Nope, Alfred only cared about fitting in. He never cared for the boy who he had a strange pull to.

For two years, Arthur endured the bullying with a mask of bravery. He couldn't take it one day after one particularly nasty insult and the worst beating he had ever gotten. Alfred didn't realize it because Arthur always had a nasty temper and never seemed to falter from the bullying, but he had a terrible home life.

Arthur's mother had died when he was born, and his father, his sister, and his brothers blamed him for it. Only one brother hadn't tried to hurt him in some way, but he never did anything to stop it. The only things his family did for him was cook, but other than that, Arthur had to fend for his own. The bullying was just too much for him.

That fateful day, Arthur grabbed the gun from his dad's drawers and snuck back into his room. He quickly wrote a note for his family (not that they would care, or that's what he had thought) that said "I can't take life no more" and shot himself in the head.

And just like that, his life was gone.

_All of us just sat back and watched it happen…_

When the news of Arthur's suicide was announced, there were some laughs from some football players and cheerleaders and some "Good riddance! That freak is finally gone!" They were quickly shut up by Arthur's two club mates.

Alfred was just silent once he had heard the news. He didn't understand anything at all. What was that agonizing pain in his chest? Why was he almost crying? He didn't understand, and he didn't want to. He knew one thing was for certain. He knew he could have done something to help.

He really didn't have any problem with Arthur. Sure, he was terrible at cooking and believed in magic and was probably schizophrenic, but he never thought that was any reason to hate him and call him a freak. He honestly didn't think it was his problem back then.

Then a particularly obnoxious shout was heard after school.

"That freak is finally dead! God, he was such a loser, he deserved whatever came to him!" Some boy laughed. No one else was laughing and just stared at him with cold eyes. And in that moment, Alfred felt something snap in him.

"You take that back you bastard!" He cried, lunging at the boy and punching him in the face. This caused a fight that the teachers had to break up. Alfred got suspended for a week, but the other boy got it worse for speaking crap about the deceased. Alfred couldn't help but think that that boy wasn't raised right.

_This is our problem…_

As much as Alfred didn't want to get involved with others at that time, he knew that others being hurt was not only that person's problem, but everyone else's problem as well. He knew that the world wasn't a happy, perfect place like he forced himself to believe. He learned this when Arthur Kirkland killed himself.

Everyone always closed their eyes when they were scared. Alfred did that too, but now he decided that enough was enough. Even though he had always claimed to be a hero, he never really was a hero until he decided at that moment. He wanted to save lives.

_If we make a choice and be the voice for those who won't speak up for themselves…_

It was four years later on the day Arthur died that Alfred made an announcement to the enter school.

"Hi, so I know that this assembly is for Arthur, but I just wanted to say something to prevent this from happening again," he spoke into the microphone. "In middle school, I never cared for Arthur. I didn't realize how bad his life was. Well, now I changed. Last year, I saved the lives of Lovino Vargas and Natalya Arlovskaya, who are now my best friends.

"If you don't know their story, Lovino was always compared to his brother and bullied all the time, but that didn't stop him from living. Until one day he just couldn't take it anymore. He came to school with a gun one day, and stood on the roof. He yelled to everyone about what they did wrong and tried to shoot himself. I ran up there and stopped him.

"Natalya was thought to be crazy simply because she didn't want to be alone. That didn't work out very well because she just drove everyone away. Lovino and I noticed that she was always alone and had cuts on her arm. We decided to sit by her at lunch, and then we convinced her to throw away the anti-depressant pills that she no longer needed.

"I'm saying this because I want to make a stand. Most of the seniors here had all made fun of and bullied Arthur, save for his former club mates and others who were either too scared to help or just didn't care. I felt really bad about never taking a stand, and I still do. I regret everything I did."

_So don't keep walkin' by…_

"We need to take a stand," Alfred continued, his voice getting louder. "We did nothing and turned our back on Arthur when he needed someone! His home life sucked! His brother and his other siblings and his father hated him! We can't just keep walking away from those in need! Stand up if you know it's the right thing to do! If being bullied is the price you have to pay for doing the right thing, then so be it! At least you're helping! I wanted to help Arthur, but I was so focused on fitting in! Now I realize what we could have been if I had just talked to him and became his friend! I loved him, but I didn't realize it until after he was gone! We need to stop this from happening! We need to be heroes!"

_Our time is now_


	5. Epilogue

_You could be a hero – heroes do what's right…_

Years later, after Alfred, Lovino, and Natalya graduated from high school and college, they all got their dream jobs and their dream lives with only a few down sides. They kept in contact of course, and they always got together for holidays and birthdays and the like.

Lovino ended up owning a chain of Italian restaurants and worked as a chef at one in America so that he wouldn't have to move away from the country where his friends lived. He married Antonio and they adopted two children (a boy and a girl). They also ended up living in a mansion with a tomato garden in the backyard.

Natalya got married to Toris Laurinaitis, who had been crushing on her for years before he got the courage to ask her out. She ended up being a stay-at-home mom to her three children (two boys and a girl) as she couldn't find a job that suited her slightly violent tendencies. Sometimes she went to schools as a motivational speaker, that didn't happen very often.

And Alfred? Alfred actually ended up marrying Natalya's brother, Ivan, and became a policeman like he always wanted. He and Ivan only adopted one kid (a boy). At one point, he even became the President of the United States and became well known for his speeches against bullying.

_You might save a life…_

Alfred, Lovino, and Natalya's stories were all told in the form of a book about Alfred's reign as President and his life before then. This led to people also learning of Arthur Kirkland. The trio had no problem giving a biography about their lives. They truly believed that it would help save lives if children and teens learned their stories.

And it did.

People from all over the world read about Alfred F. Jones, who brought the United States into a Golden Age. They learned about his two best friends, Lovino and Natalya, and how they suffered before Alfred told them that _they mattered_. There was one quote from Alfred in the book that saved so many lives and gave so many people _hope_:

"You were put on this earth for a reason. No one is truly worthless in this life. Whatever God or supernatural being you believe in, they put you on this world so that you can make a difference. Look at your family. How would they act if you died? Look at your friends. What about them? Even the people you don't even talk to would be sad if you died. You _can_ make a difference. Show the people who hurt you that you aren't _just_ how they make you out to be. Stand up for yourself. Show them who you really are."

_You could join the fight…_

Alfred inspired people to try and help others more. It seemed that there were less and less suicides out there as Alfred inspired more people with his story and Lovino's story and Natalya's story and Arthur's story. He even inspired people to join in the fight of stopping suicides and showing people that they matter.

There was less bullying in the world as people stood up for everyone else. There were still lots of people dying and getting hurt, but people made more of an attempt to stop staring at the sidelines. Natalya had said before: "Don't be scared to talk to someone and help them. If you do, then you will inspire others to help as well. Then what will others be able to do? If you stop people from bullying, they can't do much unless they want trouble. If you call them police on a man or woman or both abusing a child, then what can they do when the police arrest them? Stand up, and stop being scared."

Their popularity went on for years, and even as they grew old and died, and as their children followed in their footsteps, people still remembered them. They made history. They showed the world that you didn't have to have superpowers to be a hero. In fact, Lovino had once said: "Power corrupts. And when you are corrupted, you only think of yourself. Be selfless, but care about yourself as well. Don't try to gain all the time, think of everyone else and then think of the things that you want. If you have too much power, then you might not think about what's good for others."

Alfred, Lovino, and Natalya all made a difference. They saved lives. Their stories were the most well known stories and the most beautiful ones hundreds of years later. They were remembered. Just as former empires were remembered, just as the men and woman who made a stand for their rights were remembered, just as war veterans were remembered. They were all remembered as the people who showed everyone that they had a purpose in life. Sometimes their stories may have seemed small, but in the end, they really were amazing.

_For what's right, for what's right…_

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**Thank you to everyone who read this story and thank you sparklybutterfly42 for reviewing on every single on of my chapter! I really appreciate it. I know that the ending is cheesy and impossible, but I liked it.**


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